Switch for electric circuits



(No M del.) 4. I

O P.-LANGE & 0. B. SHALLENBERGER.-

SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC 0130mm.

- No. 434,151. Patented Aug. 12, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP LAN GE, OF IITTSBURG, AND OLIVER l). *Il-IALLENBERGER, OF

ROCHESTER, ASSIGNORS TO THE WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC COM- PANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWlTCH FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 434,151, dated August 12, 1890. Application filed September 1, 1887r Serial No. 248,473. (No model.) Patented in England May 29, 1888, No- 7,85l; in France To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that we, PHILIP LANGE and Omvna B. Sin-iLLcNnERcEn, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, in Pittsburg, Allegheny county, and in Rochester, Beaver county, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches forEleetric Circuits, (for which we have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 7,851, dated May 29, 1888; in Italy, XXII, 23,538, and XLVI, 259, dated May 29, 1888; in France, No. 190,873, dated May 29, 1888, and in Belgium, No. 81,966, dated May 29, 1888,) of whichthe following is a specification.

The invention relates to the class of devices employed for controlling the connections of electric circuits, and the object is to provide convenient and cllicient means for connecti ng the terminals of any given electric circuit with either of two pairs of conductors at will.

The invention consists, generally, in pro riding a lever carrying four contact-blades with four sets of contact-plates, whereby the blades may serve to complete the connections of a source of electricity with one pairof condnctors when in one position, with another pair in another position, and to sever all its connections when in an intermediateposition.

The invention also involves certain details which will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the switch,

and Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section.

Referring to the lign res, A represents a nonconducting' base upon which the switch is mounted. This base carries two plates (1 and a insulated from each other.

A circuit-controlling lever 3 is constructed with two arms or levers l) and Zr, pivoted at one end to the respective plates (1 and (4 These are 01. metal, and are connected at their remaining ends with a transverse plate or bar I) of metal insulated thorefrom,as shown, by the thimble-rings 0 c This barb carries a handle 13, of noncondncting material, by means of which the entire structure may be lllny 29, 1888,1lo. 190,873; in Belgium May 29, 1888, No. 81.906, and in Italy May 29,1888, XXII, 23,638, and XLVI, 259.

turned upon the pivots d (1 These pivots extend throughupright lips upon the plates a a and preferably the pivots turn in'thcse lugs and are fastened into the arms hand b by screws c and 6 so that they cannot slip out. The arm I) carries two circuit-closing blades fand g, projecting from opposite sides. The arm I) is likewise provided with blades, one only-of which g is shown. It is designed that these blades shallserve to complete the connections of diltercntelectric circuits, according to the position of the circui tr controlling lever. Thus when the lever is down to the position shown in the drawings the blade f will be in contact with two contact-plates 11' and K, and the corresponding blade upon the arm I) will be in contactwith two plates Il and K When the lever is thrown in the opposite direction, the blade g and the corresponding blade g will be in contact with the plates M and N and M and N respectively.

The plate H is preferably formed with two lips h h, projecting upon opposite sides of the blade f, and likewise the plate K has two lips 70 k for receiving the same blade f. These lips may be of resilient copper and en t:- iicicntly near together to be forced apart by the blade as it enters, and thus afford good frictional contacts with the blades. The other plates M. N, (be, are similarly constructed. The contact-lips h 70 are preferably fastened into their several plates by screws or rivets o 15. For convenience of com struction the plates K and N are formed in one piece, being shaped to project upon opposite sides of the pivoting-plate a,and likewise the plates K and N The blades upon the respective levers widen toward their outer ends, and the ends of the lips carried upon' the respective contact-plates are beveled to correspond, the angles being such that contact will be made with the sweat sets of plates approximately at the same time when the'lever is turned in either direction.

It is designed that the terminals of a source of eleetrieity such, for instance, as an alternate c u rren t electric generator A 'sh all have its respective poles connected by the conductors 1 and 2 vith the plates K N and K N The plates II and 1-1 are respectively connected with main lines or feeders L and L for instance, and the plates M and M are connected with other lines L and L 13y throwing thehandle JS'of the-lever B in one direction or tlfe other circnit-connectionsmay thnsbe made from the generator to ei ther-pai r of lines at will.

' For the purpose of interrupting the connections of the generator the lever may be placed in a position midway between the sets of plates, and for the purpose of holding it in such positioni-bolts"'i'7 areinserte'd in the.

-platos a. and a These are normally forced upward against the corresponding arm b or b by a spring At the proper point in each arm I) or b there is preferably formed an in-.

dentation, as shown at s, for receiving the head of the bolt and holdingthe arm midway These springs:

between the sets of plates.

and bolts also afford sufficient friction to hold the lover I in any desired position.

It is designed that the switch sh allbe placed against the wall in the position shown in the drawings, so that when the handle is in its central position, completing no cireuilwonnect-ions, it will stand out from the wall. In practice it is found to be a matter of great convenience to be thus able to determine at a glance whether or not the circuit-conneccomplete the connections with the outside condn'ctois simultaneously with or approXicontact-plates for each lever projecting from-- the base in the plane of movement of the corresponding lever, said blades being narrowed. toward the point of support of the lovers, and said contact-plates being bevelcd in a corre" sponding direction.

V 2.' The combination, with two pivoted lev ers moving in different parallel planes and single handle with which both are connector. of contact-blades carried by each lever am. extending in the plane of movement of the: corresponding lever, two sets of contact-plate for each lever, one contact-plate of each so being; connected with a.corresp0nding eon;- tactrplate of the other 'set, and a retaining device normally tending to hold the lever in a position midway between the sets of cor tact-plates.

3. In a switch for electric circuits, the com-',, bination of the base, two contact-arms located in two diiferent parallel planes for completing circnit-connections, and pivoted upon-" said base aind capable oi moving" toward am away from the base, contact-plates for the arms nponihe base, and a single actuating device or handle for both arms.

In testimony whereof we have herennto 

